About our Educators

Gill Sykes

Gill has been running wine appreciation courses in Australia and the UK for the last eight years. She has completed the Diploma in Wines and Sprits Education Trust and is also a qualified Sommelier. She has worked in the wine industry in many guises from sales and marketing for boutique wineries to regional promotion to wine tourism and wine writing. She has also been a manager in wine retail for the last ten years which includes her current position as Manager of the Wine House store alongside her role as an educator.

Gill is also a judge for the prestigious London International Wine Challenge.

Richard Crowley

Richard has worked in wine retail for over 10 years both in the UK and Australia. He has also worked as a Sommelier including a stint at Champagne Mumm. Throughout his wine career to date he has hosted many wine events and courses. Richard currently works as a wine distributor and we are delighted to also have him as a wine educator here at the Wine House.

Caroline Tunnell-Jones

Caroline is a communications professional with over twelve years experience in the wine trade. She’s completed the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits, the WSET Level 3 Certified Educator Certificate and is currently studying towards a Master of Communication at RMIT. When she’s not teaching about wine, she freelances as a communications consultant through her company First Growth Communications. Caroline is a fluent French speaker, and teaches all levels of WSET courses for Wine House.

Bree Boskov

Bree has had a career in the wine industry spanning more than a decade working as a Sommelier and wine consultant in Vancouver and Nova Scotia, Canada. A certified Sommelier and holder of WSET Diploma level 4 Bree is currently working towards becoming a Master of Wine. She has been lecturing for the WSET for three years. Her other roles include Sommelier and wine list consultant, wine judge, founder of the Rose Revolution, Sales consultant with the Spanish Acquisition and she is an active member of Sommeliers Australia. Bree now teaches WSET Level 3 for the Wine House.

Jenny Polack

Jenny has 30 years experience in the wine industry ranging from front line sales through to picking grapes. She has been recognised selling a bottle of wine at some of Melbourne’s premium wine stores, teaching numerous students wine tasting or background consulting for restaurant wine lists as well as training and marketing. Not to be too distant from the production level, she worked two vintages in Portugal and South Australia. She was the first Australian to be accepted in the prestigious OIV Master of Science in Wine Management - an international postgraduate degree in Marketing, Management and Economy within the wine and spirit sector. Jenny teaches WSET Level 3 for the Wine House.

Kandy Xu 徐国荣

Kandy Xu is the Chinese translator of the book “Heart & Soul: Australia’s First Families of Wine”. She is a Committee Member of the Victorian Wine Guild, the President of the Chinese Wine Association of Australia (澳洲华人葡萄酒协会) and Export Manager of the Australia Kensington Wines. She holds the WSET-3 certificate and is currently undertaking the WSET diploma course.

Josh Elias

Josh Elias has worked as a Sommelier at some of Melbourne’s most prestigious restaurants including; Vue de Monde, Attica and Grossi Florentino. His current role as editor - in - chief at the much acclaimed food and wine magazine “Alquimie” keeps him busily absorbed in the world of wine.

Josh holds the Advanced Diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers and was Dux of Victoria’s first WSET Diploma Graduates. He is currently in the final stages of working towards both the Master Sommelier degree and the Master of Wine degree at the same time.

Josh teaches all levels of WSET for Wine House.

Sarah Andrews

Sarah launched Selador Wines in 2005, after spending several years working in the wine industry in London. The business was set up to consult, market, promote and sell wine for boutique wineries. She completed the Court of Master Sommelier, Certified Sommelier exams in September 2010 and the WSET Diploma in January 2013 and is now a certified educator for the Global WSET. Since 2014 Sarah has been teaching the A+ Level 2 Wine Australia course. In January 2011 Sarah was a candidate on the L'Erudito Lorenzo Galli Scholarship in January 2011 and in 2014 was awarded the Coonawarra Leaders Award Scholarship. In June 2012 she completed the AWRI Wine Judging Assessment Course. She is now actively involved in various regional and national wine shows around Australia as an Associate Judge and Judge.

Sarah teachers WSET and Wine Australia courses for Wine House.

Ben Knight

Ben has over 15 years experience in the Hospitality Industry with a focus over the last 7 years in wine consultancy. He has completed the certified Sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers, and is in the process of completing the WSET diploma. Ben has been running beginners wine courses in Melbourne since 2007 and is a Victorian Committee member of Sommeliers Australia and the National Secretary of Sommeliers Australia. He has had an extensive career as sommelier in some of Melbourne’s finest restaurants, including Gin Palace, Walters Wine Bar and latterly a Head Sommelier at the iconic restaurant Vue de Monde.

Ben has been published in Gourmet Traveller, Melbourne Weekly, Broadsheet magazines and The Guardian Australia and consults to a number of Melbourne restaurants on wine list selection.

Simone Madden-Grey

Simone runs her own wine business called ‘Happy Wine Woman Consultancy’ providing writing, education and cellar management services to industry and private clients. Before moving to Melbourne she lived in Hong Kong where she completed the WSET Diploma and was awarded the HKIWSC Scholarship for gaining the highest Diploma mark in Asia. She regularly visits wine regions all over the world to attend conferences and interview winemakers.

In addition to writing regularly for her blog Happy Wine Woman, Simone contributes to The Drinks Business Online and Wine Times Hong Kong. She has also recently been appointed Australia and New Zealand correspondent for the magazine Spirito di Vino Asia and the US-based podcast Wine for Normal People. This, combined with her teaching and cellar management commitments keep her regularly engaged with the world of wine. Simone teaches WSET at all levels for Wine House.

Newsletter

We accept Victorian Liquor Licence No. 32055124 WARNING: Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 it is an offence. To supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18 years (Penalty exceeds $18,000). For a person under the age of 18 years to purchase or receive liquor (Penalty exceeds $700)

All prices quoted in Australian Dollars (AUD$) unless otherwise stated.